Plugged into the current zeitgeist of sustainability, Polish designers are increasingly crafting
environmentally-friendly and socially-responsible creations that equally appeal
to earth-conscious shoppers as well as less concerned patrons.

by Anna J. Kutor

Photo courtesy of Ho-Lo

In recent years ‘sustainability’ and
‘environmentally sound’ have fast become the order of the day for designers and
style mavens in Poland. Some wish to re-connect modern life with nature,
rediscovering basic values through craft and innovative technology. Others
focus on using renewable resources or less polluting production methods to
create new products. A good example of the latter variety is 60 Bag,
a biodegradable carrier-bag made out of flax-viscose non-woven fabric, a
recycled industrial waste product that requires minimal energy during its
production. This green alternative to planet-wrecking plastic bags was born
from the collaboration of designer designer Katarzyna Okińczyc and photographer
Remigiusz Truchanowicz. Eliminating the costly process of recycling or
disposals in landfills, this patented material completely decomposes in just 60
days, hence product name.

Adding new functionality to old materials is the mantra of Tomasz Kopyłowski and Anna
Kamiñska, an eco-designer team giving discarded billboard skins and plastic
truck covers a fresh start as bags and fashion accessories. Their company,
Ho-Lo Studio stationed in the northern town of Koszalin,
manufactures unisex fashion bags that strike a balance between sustainable and
style.

“We use materials that you can see all around the city that would originally be
destined for the junkyard,” says Kopyłowski. Since the studio’s inception in
2004, the dynamic twosome have turned attention-grabbing outdoor posters into a
variety of striking bag models, ranging from backpacks, shopping bags and
wallets to shoulder satchels and laptop cases. “Re-using old billboards and truck
covers is not just good for the environment, but because they were made to
withstand the toughest of outdoor conditions they make for sturdy materials
that are fun to work with, colorful and individual.”

Photo courtesy of Ho-Lo

Agata Kulik and Pawel Pomorski, the brains behind the Gdansk-based design collective Malafor, are
great exemplars of how a combined passion for propagating good design and
conserving natural resources can lead to the creation of functional and
intelligent products. Blow Sofa, for instance, is an inflatable couch made from
two recycled dunnage bags which are held in place with a few sturdy metal racks
and rubber bands. Compact and lightweight for easy mobility, this ergonomic
chair is equally at home in the living room and in the garden and it’s cushions
can be easily exchanged when worn. The couple has also turned painted PVC pipes
into functional furniture, by strapping them together to form a book case in
‘Pipe Line’, or molded together like a bee’s nest to store magazines in ‘News Table’.

“Numerous designers are adopting a more eco-friendly outlook because they want to stop
for a while, take a few steps back and rediscover a time when simple thing
where enough” says Warsaw-based architect Lech Rowiński, who with his
architect wife Marta makes up the cross-disciplinary design outlet Beton. From architecture to fashion, everyday industrial design to
graphic creations, the twosome are experts at designing something understated
and simple-looking on the one hand, yet decidedly versatile and form-breaking
on the other. Applying geometric principles, the pair used flat pieces of
polyethylene foam to fold into funky handbags in Fi Bags and wrapped it around
chairs for a cushy cover in S Chair Transformers. Similarly experimental and
playful in approach are their cardboard systems Wall 1, Wall 2 and PUDEL, a
series of paper modules connected without the use of glue or stitches that turn into elaborate spatial objects.
“Sustainability is present in our way of thinking about design, as we
focus on reducing materials and source inspiration from our non-urban
surroundings.”

Also taking into consideration the triple
bottom line of people, planet and profit is the Poznań-based Ah&Oh Studio run by Magda Kałek and Kamil Jerzykowski. Their cute-as-a-button BugPlug helps save electricity by motion sensing technology.
Inspired by urban vinyl toys, this smiling household eco-gadget with two
snail-like antennas monitors the room for movement and turns on/off any power-sucking
unused appliance via an individually programmed timer when users enter or
exit.

The all-female design quartet of Knockoutdesign brings
together a host of projects with shifting cultural and social perspectives of
responsible design. Drawing on the strong eco-minded creativity of Magda
Juszczak, Dorota Kabala, Maya Ober and Marta Florkowska-Dworjak, who met while
attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan, the studio’s works spans multiple
disciplines, from product to urban and fashion design. Among their planet-smart
creations is Make Me Up!, a foldable coffee table made of cardboard and
shoelaces and Arenasietno, a glossed waterproof plywood that when pushed into
sand becomes a makeshift beach chair.

“We believe that as designers we have a great responsibility, and using the industry ought to be well balanced
environmentally and socially,” explains Ober, who collaborates from the
studio’s second branch in Tel-Aviv-Yafo, Israel. To draw attention to
sustainable design that are guided by a philosophy of reduce, recycle and reuse
in terms of material and technology choice, the group was commissioned to
curate and design Re.product, a series of exhibitions and events first held in
Poznań in 2009 and then at the Gdynia Design Days last year. Displayed on a
series of cardboard drums during these events were environmentally-friendly
design solutions and innovative production processes from talented designers
from Europe, Asia and North America. “The Polish market is transforming
and consumer’s consciousness about environmental issues is growing with
initiatives such as Re.product, but there is still a long way to go before
people become truly mindful of waste and how their actions impact the
environment.”

Photo courtesy of 60bag.com

Anna J. Kutor | Content Creator & Strategist

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Anna J. Kutor |
Content Creator & Strategist